Tag Archives: HLATC

Bag, Idaho, 1900-1929, cornhusk and wool, 23 x 18 in. Dakota Mace (Diné) recently received her MFA in Textiles from the School of Human Ecology and is a Collections Assistant in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection. Kendra Greendeer (Ho-Chunk) is a doctoral student in History of Art and Collection Manager for the Little Eagle […]

Mola Panel, Panama, 1900-1999, cotton, appliqué and embroidery, 13 x 17 in. Hailee Milton is a student in the School of Human Ecology studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Many textiles serve the purpose of commemorating historical events. For example, the American flag is an important textile whose colors hold important significance. While perhaps less known, […]

Hat, India, 1900-1977, cotton, silk on cotton, silk, 13 x 14 x 13 in. Katie Slavin is a student in the School of Human Ecology, entering her 4th year as a Retailing and Consumer Behavior major. After flipping through the textiles featured in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection online navigator, I was immediately drawn […]

Apparel Fabric, Asia, 1800-1829, metallic thread, silk Ellyn Webb is a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Retailing and Consumer Behavior and completing a Certificate in Textiles. This textile is from the early 1800s in Asia, made of silk and metallic thread. We do not know exactly which country it is from, […]

Dress, United States of America, 1940-1949, silk, 58”x36” Last week’s Textile Tuesday examined the history and provenance of a silk dress in the HLATC collection; this week, a different student examines the same dress from a more personal vantage point. Tess E. Hurley is a student in the School of Human Ecology, studying Textiles and […]

Dress, United States of America, 1940-1949, silk, 58”x36” Corinn Ebelis a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Textiles and Fashion Design. This dress, a gift in honor of Milwaukee’s Pabst family, is a beautiful memoir of custom dressmaking and embroidery. It shows superior craftsmanship of its time, and pride in the industry’s […]

Angelo Testa, Yardage: “Textura Prima Solida,” United States of America, 1939 –1960, screen-printed cotton, 26 x 24 in. Christine Weiss graduated in June from the School of Human Ecology, with a degree in Textiles. Her senior thesis work is included in the current exhibit, Studying History, Designing the Future, at the Promega Art Showcase. This […]

Mesh purse, metal chain link, United States, early 20th century Shelby Orcutt is a student in the School of Human Ecology, majoring in Textiles and Fashion Design. The artifact that I choose from the collection is a petite mesh bag from the United States dated from the early 20th century. I was so drawn to […]

Blanket, Mexico, 1930-1939, wool. April Hoh-Alfaro is completing her undergraduate degree in Textiles and Fashion Design in the School of Human Ecology; she has also worked as an intern in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection. I wanted to write about a Mexican textile because I am Mexican, and have grown up with textiles from […]

Woven bag, alpaca, Peru, 1930s, 6x6in Molly Burki is a second year student in the School of Human Ecology studying Textiles and Fashion Design. While exploring the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, a small woven bag, about the size of my palm, caught my interest. The design is delicate but complex, a weaving filled with […]

In Anticipation of Threads 2019 In a few weeks, the Madison Masonic Center will be hosting one of SoHE’s most beloved events Threads: Fashion Show. Threads is a yearly fashion show that showcases Textile and Fashion Design students’ various projects from the school year. Dubbing Helen Louise Allen as the ‘Point of Muse’ for students, […]

Puppet Glove, Denmark, 1968, 8 in. x 8 in. Alissa Donovan is a 3rd-year student in the School of Human Ecology, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Textiles enrich our daily lives in many ways, and have been doing so since the beginning of civilization. Textiles have served as protection, beauty, practicality, and art. Possibly the […]

Dress, silver foil, Reynolds Metals Company, United States, 1968, 37×28″ By Gretchen Meyer, a second-year student in SoHE, studying Retailing and Consumer Behavior. While browsing through the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, I was in love with so many of the pieces. When I came across this stunning dress – a beautiful, glittery silver shift […]

Members of the Madison Knitting Guild gathered in the Robin’s Nest Cafe on Thursday evening, February 28th, to lead a knit-in, where members of the SoHE community could learn to knit. More than 50 people – students, administrators, colleagues, amateur and expert knitters -came together on a cold night to practice one of the world’s […]

Futon Cover Fragment, Japan, 1868-1912, 14×13 in By Sophie Downs, a fourth year student in SoHE, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. This floral piece of cloth is a futon cover fragment from Japan from the turn of the twentieth century. A futon (pronounced fu-tone not fu-tan) is a Japanese style of bed that is essentially […]

A Collection that Counts: The History, Practice, and Future of Textile Collecting This symposium was held Saturday April 6 2019. “A Collection that counts brings knowledge, a losing of self in the sorting and arranging, a huge enjoyment in showing the collection, and the acquiring of many new friends both in making and showing of […]

Metallic Embroidery, 1960s, India, 5x8x1in. By David Newell, Director of the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, and Marina Moskowitz, Lynn and Gary Mecklenburg Chair in Textiles, Material Culture, and Design This elegant purse was one piece in the original bequest of Prof. Helen Louise Allen to form the textile collection that —50 years on— is such […]

Request to view items in Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection To schedule a visit to the Collection, please fill out and submit this form. Requests need to be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to preferred date of visit. Confirmation of availability will be sent within 3-4 business days. This Collection is open Monday-Friday. Fields […]